Interview: Luisa Delgado, CEO Safilo Eyewear

For the global eyewear sector, the past three years have perhaps been some of the most turbulent in recent memory. The creation of Kering Eyewear, the planned merger between Luxottica and Essilor and the new joint venture between fashion house Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH) and Marcolin have all been making the headlines. The world’s second largest manufacturer, Safilo, has been part of the news, but has not been setting the agenda. The company lost several licences to Kering Eyewear in 2015, most notably Gucci at the end of 2016, the effects of which are starting to be felt.

While the news of mergers and brand moves may have been a surprise to some, to Safilo CEO Luisa Delgado, it was very much on the cards and fully accounted for. ‘Our 2020 plan was designed after a very, very careful analysis of the industry and insights, with trained projections and scenarios,’ she says. ‘The fact that one day Essilor and Luxottica would try to merge did not come out of the blue as rumours were circulating for several years. The fact that LVMH or Kering might want to get a foothold in eyewear is also understandable, as eyewear was one of the few remaining untapped licence areas within the two major luxury conglomerates. Therefore, it was not a surprise that the LVMH scenario recently turned into something similar to that of Kering.’